Palladium Books® Weekly Update – Aug. 15, 2017

By Kevin Siembieda

One game system – every genre – countless worlds – endless adventure

Hi Everyone. This is gonna be a quick, early Update, as we have just finished loading up the truck and will be heading off to Gen Con first thing Wednesday morning. We hope to see some of you there.

I mainly wanted to touch upon a couple of quick things and remind you that this is the last six days to get the Palladium Fantasy RPG® Bundle of Holding – the offer ends August 21, 2017. It’s pretty sweet and 10% of the proceeds goes to a worthy charity. Read on to learn more.

UPDATE: Nightbane® Dark Designs™ sourcebook – Ships August 31

Nightbane® Dark Designs™ is done and at the printer! It looks fantastic and should ship around August 31st. We were not able to get it done in time for Gen Con, but we will bring a half-dozen photocopies to sell for those of you who can’t wait and want it NOW. We will try to post a preview for Dark Designs™ on DriveThruRPG when we get back from Gen Con. So many fun, new Morphuses and new Talents (nearly 100 of them). And everyone loves seeing the Ancient Nightbane for the first time ever. Author Mark Oberle did an outstanding job. Can hardly wait to see his next one. See the full description elsewhere in this Update.

UPDATE: Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ – Available now

Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ soft cover edition has been selling and shipping out as fast as we get your orders. All of a sudden the Rifts® Poker Decks – one color, one black and white, both gorgeous – have been selling at an increased level. Don’t know if it’s because of Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ or what, but keep those orders comin’. We will have copies of Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ and the Rifts® Poker Decks, and a whole lot more at Gen Con, and we are happy to sign your book(s), so bring ‘em on over to the booth.

Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ is one of those epic sourcebooks with ideas on every page and packed with all kinds of useful and fun information about True Atlanteans, Tattoo Magic, Stone Pyramids, Crystal Magic, Shadow Magic, Atlantean clans, the Sunaj, new Atlantean O.C.C.s, old O.C.C.s revisited, the Shadow Dimension and its monstrous inhabitants, and more. And there are many secrets revealed. Please take a look at the free preview on DriveThruRPG.com for more details and a few choice glimpses of what you can expect. 224 pages, $24.95 retail.

Remember, the limited, signed and numbered Atlanteans™ Gold Edition hardcover does not ship until the end of August or the beginning of September, we are still waiting to get a confirmed ship date for it. It takes longer to have a hardcover made. We anticipate end of August. Limited to 300 signed and numbered editions, and Palladium’s Gold Editions have a history of increasing in value.

Expand your Palladium Fantasy® PDF gaming library and support a good cause – the Red Cross! This is another offer that gives you all the basics to dive right into a Palladium Fantasy game and have a blast. ONLY 6 DAYS left to get the Fantasy Bundle of Holding!

If you have never played Palladium Fantasy®, this gives you plenty to get rolling. Play the humans, Dwarves, Elves, Wizards, Warriors, Thieves and Paladins you would expect, but you also get to play a large array of non-human characters like Wolfen, Coyles, Orcs, Ogres, Kobolds, Gnomes and others. And sourcebooks like Monsters & Animals, High Seas, the Yin-Sloth Jungles and others give you even more character classes and inhuman player character options as well as a menagerie of monsters and villains to battle.

If you are a long time Palladium Fantasy® fan, you get the core rule book and several fan favorite sourcebooks to have available as a digital reference. Since these are first edition titles, you get PDFs of some beloved books that have been out of print for a number of years.

Palladium Fantasy® goes beyond the common fantasy tropes to challenge and stimulate your imagination with player characters like the Mind Mage, Summoner, Diabolist and others. Its unique world and characters have 50,000 years of history, secrets, rivalry and ancient darkness threatening to resurface. This is the time to give this fantasy world a try when you get everything you need to play at bargain prices and support a charity at the same time.

Bargain price and charity support. Not only do you get to try something new or build your existing e-library at a bargain price, but 10% of every purchase goes toward charity! We chose to support the American Red Cross as they provide desperately needed medical services to people affected by poverty, war and disasters all over the world.

How the Bundle of Holding Works: The customer can pay any price (minimum $14.95 for the Fantasy Starter Collection Bundle) to get all the titles in the Starter Collection. If you pay more than the threshold (average) price, which was set at $23.95 to start (but goes up as more people make purchases), you also get all the titles in the Bonus Collection. They also ADD little surprises and bonus, like the two sets of Fantasy Paper Minis that were added to the Fantasy Starter Bundle. Anyone who already made this purchase gets any “add-on” items. All previous purchasers of this offer automatically receive the newly added item(s) on their Wizard's Cabinet download page. Important Note: The customer needs to visit that page in order to “trigger the system” to add the new titles to his or her DriveThruRPG Library. Enjoy.

The Palladium Fantasy® Bundle ends August 21, so please spread the word and tell everybody about these PDF bundles. All PDF bundles are hosted in association with OneBookShelf, DriveThruRPG’s parent company, and you get your PDF bundle added directly into your DriveThruRPG library. What? You don’t have a DriveThruRPG account yet? No worries, they are FREE and very easy to set up.

The Palladium® FRPG Bundle will END on August 21, 2017 at 10 PM Eastern time – do not miss out on this limited time offer!

UPDATE: Rifts® Sovietski™

Coming this fall. Rifts® Sovietski™ cover art by John Zeleznik. Written by Brandon Aten and Matthew Orr. A new Rifts® World Book and a great companion to Triax & the NGR, Triax 2, Mindwerks™ and the two Rifts® Russia World Books, but suitable for other uses and adventures.

UPDATE: 2018 Palladium Open House – April 19-22, 2018

It is 3-4 days of incredible fun with access to me (Kevin Siembieda), the Palladium staff, and a dozen or two Palladium freelance artists and writers. Game with the very people who make the games at the Palladium warehouse. I will get all you all the information on how to reserve your tickets when we get back from Gen Con.

NEW on DriveThruRPG.com – Rifts® Dimension Book One: Wormwood, Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG and the Mystic China™ sourcebook, as well as Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ Sneak Preview, plus 50+ Rifts® titles, 1980s Robotech®, and much more

In addition to the titles listed above, The Minion War™ series of books, the Rifts® Coalition Wars®/Tolkeen series, Chaos Earth® Resurrection, all of the Dead Reign® (Zombie Apocalypse) titles, Splicers® RPG and most issues of The Rifter® are available NOW! So are first edition rules of the Heroes Unlimited™ RPG and sourcebooks, Palladium Fantasy RPG® and sourcebooks, The Mechanoids®, and much more, available on DriveThruRPG.com.

Alex and I continue to add a lot of vintage Star Wars toys and a growing number of all kinds of collectibles – and we’ll be adding more Palladium Books original art and items to the store, so keep an eye out for them.

This includes one-of-a-kind original artwork, prints, Rifts® and Robotech® artwork by Kevin Long, me and others. There is also a range of limited editions, rare book titles and limited edition hardcovers, toys and more that are all being added to my online store over the next several weeks, so keep an eye out. Alex and I will keep adding items as our busy schedules allow, but we have a lot of fun collectibles available now and coming soon. Items include original art, out of print titles, redlined proofreader photocopies signed by me and the staff, signed manuscripts with editors’ corrections, some original art, hardcover books (including Rifts® Lemuria, Northern Gun™ One, Northern Gun™ Two, Megaverse® in Flames™, Beyond the Supernatural™ Gold, Rifts® Machinations of Doom™ Gold and Rifts® Ultimate Gold) and other items available. There are also hundreds of toys and action figures, all from my personal archives and collection. Take a look every weekend for new items added.

Gen Con's first RRT tournament! Bring your assembled 200 point force to the table to throw down against UEDF and Zentraedi from all across the galaxy! Prizes for the top 3 players and best painted Squad!

Prizes!

First Place: 100 Robotech Bucks for making purchases at the Palladium Books booth at this year's Gen Con.

Second Place: 60 Robotech Bucks for making purchases at the Palladium Books booth at this year's Gen Con.

Third Place: 30 Robotech Bucks for making purchases at the Palladium Books booth at this year's Gen Con.

Best Painted Squad: 50 Robotech Bucks for making purchases at the Palladium Books booth at this year's Gen Con. This award goes to the player with the best painted Squad. This means that the number of models painted needs to consist of the minimum models purchased for a specific Squad card. Some squads can consist of 2 models while others may contain 6 models that complete one Squad card. This works well for new or novice players who may have only had time to paint up a Squad.

Prizes!

First Place Winner of the Commander's Call tournament will be awarded the title “Commander 2017,” receive a commemorative certificate, and receive 150 Robotech Bucks for making purchases at the Palladium Books booth at this year's Gen Con. The Commander can also have his or her picture taken and have an interview with Chuck Walton to go over their very own Robotech RPG Tactics character that will be made an official character for the RRT game which will be illustrated by Chuck, in an anime style bust shot. The character's personal mecha will also be discussed and we will coordinate discussions to establish a paint scheme for that mecha. Once completed, that character's write-up and playable RRT card will be uploaded to DriveThruRPG.com so that other RRT gamers can download and play that character for free.

Second Place: 100 Robotech Bucks for making purchases at the Palladium Books booth at this year's Gen Con.

Third Place: 50 Robotech Bucks for making purchases at the Palladium Books booth at this year's Gen Con.

Best Painted Army: 100 Robotech Bucks for making purchases at the Palladium Books booth at this year's Gen Con. This award goes to the player with the best painted army (NOT just a Squad).

Gen Con RRT Showdown Tournament Organizer: Dan Rains.

IMPORTANT Note: Both tournaments will be utilizing the Revised Blast Rules that were posted in Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Kickstarter Update #188; see the following link. Thank you.

UPDATE: Palladium Tumblers – Gen Con is your last chance

I hope everyone got their Palladium logo tumbler because the offer has ended. If not, you may have one last chance. We will be bringing under a dozen of each design – Palladium Fantasy®, Splicers®, Heroes Unlimited™, and Rifts® – with us to Gen Con. These vacuum insulated tumblers with logo and art have airtight lids, never sweat, hold 30 ounces, and keep cold beverages cold and hot beverages warm for up to six hours. Watertight when sealed. $29.99 each. Well worth it. Sold at Gen Con on a first come, fist served basis.

GEN CON 2017 – Palladium Booth #1217 – August 17-20

– Robotech® RPG Tactics™ tournaments, RRT demos, many Palladium gaming events, new book releases and most Rifts®, Robotech® and other Palladium game products

Gen Con is just a couple days away and we hope to see many of you drop by the booth to buy books and other goodies, chat for a while and get stuff signed. Palladium Books will be there with Robotech RPG Tactics game play demonstrations, tournaments, and painting demos, a wide selection of products, new books, backstock, art prints, original artwork by Charles Walton II, and a few unique items and collectibles. Everyone at the Palladium booth is happy to introduce you to the many worlds of the Palladium Megaverse®, from Robotech® and Rifts® to Heroes Unlimited™, Palladium Fantasy®, Dead Reign®, Splicers® and much more. And do not miss any of the 40+ Palladium gaming events or the special Gen Con coupon book offer. New releases include Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™, Nightbane® Dark Designs™, and the tumblers.

Hope to see some of you at Gen Con

Whew, it has been a long day. Looking forward to seeing many of you at Gen Con. I hope you bring us books to sign, chat a bit, find some things to buy and enjoy a great time at this wonderful event. Oh, and check out the Special Palladium Deals in the Gen Con Coupon Book. To rest of you, enjoy the week, and take advantage of the Palladium Fantasy® Bundle of Holding, offer ends August 21. Till next week ...

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Game Designer

New! Nightbane® Dark Designs™ – Ships August 31

Nightbane® Dark Designs™ is a guide to creating the Nightbane and a sourcebook for players and Game Masters alike. It presents all sorts of new Nightbane creation tables, new Morphus tables, new Talents, and new information. Info and powers that enable players to make memorable Nightbane characters and G.M.s to take their games up a notch.

18 new and comprehensive Morphus Tables.

60 new Common Talents.

38 new Elite Talents.

Transformation Transition Table.

Talent creation and conversion rules.

Ancient Nightbane R.C.C. fully statted out and creation tables.

Insight to the Becoming.

Answers to some common questions & more.

Appendix of 23 Morphus Tables gathered from the Nightbane® RPG and Sourcebooks.

Appendix of 53 Talents gathered from the Nightbane® RPG and Sourcebooks.

Written by Mark Oberle. Cover by Charles Walton II and Eduardo Dominguez.

NEW! Secrets of the Atlanteans™ “Gold” Edition Hardcover – August

The source material in Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ is so awesome and the Atlanteans and Sunaj are so iconic, Palladium is making a limited edition, signed and numbered collector’s hardcover. Contains the same source material as the softcover edition. Signed by the Palladium staff.

Black faux leather hardcover with metallic gold imprint.

Signed by the Palladium staff.

Numbered 1-300 and sold on a first come, first served basis. The number you receive is based on the order in which orders are received.

Pre-orders for the Gold Edition MUST be placed separately, not with other books. Your credit card will be charged when you place the order, including shipping, but this item will not ship until sometime in August. (It takes longer to get a hardcover printed and bound than the softcover.)

All the same great material that is in the softcover. 60+ new Magic Tattoos. 60+ Shadow Magic spells. 30+ new Crystal Magic spells and the Crystal Mage O.C.C., the Stone Master, revisited, Sunaj Shadow Mage and Shadow Assassin O.C.C.s, and more.

Rifts® Dimension Book 15: Secrets of the Atlanteans™ - Available now!

True Atlanteans are among the most mysterious and storied heroes across the Megaverse®. Forced to flee Earth more than 15,000 ago when Atlantis was lost, they have traveled the cosmos in search of new wonders and knowledge, and to wage war against supernatural evil. Masters of dimensional travel and the fabled Tattoo Magic, True Atlanteans have become renowned as vampire slayers and heroic Champions of Light. But there is also a festering darkness from within the Atlantean clans. A darkness that could destroy them all.

Learn about Atlantean civilization, the many clans, where they are found across the Megaverse, why they hide, and why they hate the undead so much. Also discover the power of Shadow Magic, the treachery of the Sunaj Illuminati, and much more.

60+ Magic Tattoos.

60+ Shadow Magic spells.

50+ Crystal Magic spells and the Crystal Mage O.C.C.

Stone Pyramids described and mapped.

Stone Master and Undead Slayer, revisited.

Sunaj Shadow Mage and Shadow Assassin O.C.C.s.

The dark history, shame, and secrets of True Atlanteans.

Learn more about the famous Atlantean Tattooed Warriors, Undead Slayers, Stone Masters and other Atlantean heroes.

Tremble at the terrible secrets of the Aerihman and their plans for inter-dimensional domination.

NEW! Rifts® Living Nowhere™ – A Rifts® Sourcebook set in the Pecos Empire

This title presents three interrelated towns off the beaten path in the Pecos Empire. Each with its own unique character and problems. All fun locations to visit and find adventure and trouble. Something dark and deadly is brewing in the middle of Nowhere, where experimental Techno-Wizard devices and weapons offer prosperity, but could be the doom of everyone living there. Big ideas. Building upon material that appeared in The Rifter®, expanded.

New! The Rifter® #78

Another issue of source material for four or more Palladium game settings, most of which can be adapted to any game world. This issue has a nice hunk of material about the supernatural, such as the Modern Necromancer by Greg Diaczyk, a Beyond the Supernatural™ monster by Kevin Siembieda, City of Khemennu: Part Two (Palladium Fantasy) which is a city of gods and churches by Ian Herbert, plus G.M. advice and the Splicers® Legion Aftermath. Shaping up to be another great issue. Final articles to be selected. Artwork is being assigned.

Every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory for players and Game Masters to generate new ideas and find new avenues of adventure. It provides useful, ready-to-go source material you can just drop into your ongoing games. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. And the many new characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, villains, monsters, adventures and ideas for one setting can be easily adapted to any Palladium setting. Every issue has material for Rifts® and usually 2-3 other Palladium game lines. The focus of this issue is Rifts®, Splicers® and RPG advice. Don’t forget, unofficial material can be easily adapted for use in ANY Palladium game setting.

The Raw Preview Edition of Nightbane® Dark Designs™ is an advance copy of the unedited, unillustrated, final working manuscript for this exciting new sourcebook. A rare look at the raw manuscript before publication. Limited to a total of 150 copies, sold on a first come, first served basis.

Nightbane® Dark Designs™ is a guide to creating the Nightbane®, and a sourcebook for players and Game Masters alike. It presents all sorts of new Nightbane creation tables, new Morphus tables, new Talents, and new information. Info and powers that enable players to make memorable Nightbane characters and for G.M.s to take their games up a notch.

The Rifter® #77 – available now

Adventure, madness, strange creatures and strange lands fill this issue of The Rifter®. This issue is a playground for heroes and a source of adventure, but beware the danger that lurks in the shadows.

Every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory for players and Game Masters to generate new ideas and find new avenues of adventure. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. And the source material can be easily adapted for use in ANY Palladium game setting.

Rifter® #77 Highlights:

Rifts® – City of Nowhere – an adventure setting – by Brett Caron. Capitalism, magic and dark secrets build an enchanted city with a dark underbelly that may not hold.

Palladium Fantasy RPG® – the city of Khemennu adventure setting by Ian Herbert. A holy city dedicated the Church of Light and Dark, and resting place of the legendary Sun Disc. A place of intrigue, magic and adventure.

Splicers® – I am Legion, Part Six – by Charles Walton II, Chris Kluge and Lance Colley – “official” source material. This is it! The final battle against Legion! The Legion personality and her Black Shroud armor statted and described. Secrets and dangers revealed about the Factory Walker and more. Even in victory, the world may never be the same.

Note: The Rifter® #76 and #75 are also available and packed with official source material for Rifts® and other game settings.

NEW! Garden of the Gods™ – A Palladium Fantasy RPG® Sourcebook

This has been a secret project of Kevin Siembieda’s that he has been plotting and writing in what little spare time he has. The Garden of the Gods is said to be a holy place watched over and even frequented by the avatars of the gods. According to legend, the god may visit heroes and followers in dreams or in person by an avatar of the god, to be given guidance, inspiration, heroic quests, and gifts of knowledge and magic. More details about this title will follow.

The Garden of the Gods described in detail.

Godly insight and visitations.

Gifts of magic and knowledge.

Sanctuary and more.

The Black Pit, a place of evil and dark secrets. Is it a counterbalance to the good of the Garden, or a trick of the Old Ones?

Rifts® The Disavowed – A Secrets of the Coalition States™ Sourcebook

“Desperate times require desperate measures. War has nothing to do with morality or justice. It’s all about winning or dying. We cannot bind our hands with high ideals, even our own, or worry about the laws of renegade nations or the rights of alien people. We must fight fire with fire. And you are the match.” – Colonel Lyboc addressing a Disavowed team.

The Disavowed are so Top Secret that their existence is known only to a handful of the Coalition States’ most elite, top echelon, with Joseph Prosek II the mastermind behind the Disavowed operation, and Colonel Lyboc its shadowy face. Find out who these men and women are. How the Disavowed get away with using magic, traveling to other parts of Rifts Earth and even to other dimensions in pursuit of enemies and strategic information that cannot be had through conventional means. Learn about the secret parameters in which these hard-boiled warriors, secretly hand-picked by Joseph Prosek II, operate, why almost every mission is considered a suicide mission, and why they must forever be the Disavowed.

CS operatives so secret that even the top military and political leaders right up to Emperor Prosek know nothing about them. And if they did know, would they condone their activity or condemn it?

Are the Disavowed heroes or renegades? Assassins or soldiers? Madmen or super-patriots? Or a little of them all?

Unsung heroes who keep the CS safe, or thugs and pawns of a shadow agency within the Coalition government?

What role does the Vanguard play in this group?

How do they reward their D-Bee “teammates” when the mission is over?

What happens to the Disavowed when they have seen or learned too much? Adventure ideas galore and so much more.

New! Rifts® Sovietski™

The Rifts® Sovietski™ World Book presents background information on the fledgling Sovietski nation, notable cities and people, politics, and its growing army, plus Deadzones, Spetsnaz Special Forces, new bionics, Russian D-Bees, and more.

New! In the Face of Death™ – A Dead Reign® Sourcebook

This sourcebook is all about inner city survival. Survivor colonies finding ways to live and prosper in the big city. Conventional wisdom says that living in the big population centers is impossible. These survivors prove otherwise.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™

Robotech® is getting hotter and hotter. It is the Number One Anime on Crackle, the Robotech® movie from Sony Pictures sounds like it is going to be become a reality, more Robotech® licensed products are appearing, and Palladium is gearing up toward the release of Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Wave Two and more Robotech® products. Ah, but the core game and expansion packs to get you started are available right now.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, tabletop combat game that captures the action and adventure of the Robotech® anime. Two or more players can engage in small squad skirmishes or scale up to massive battles. Relive the clashes of the First Robotech War, engage in stand-alone tactical games, or use the dynamic game pieces to enhance your Robotech® RPG experience. Or simply collect your favorite mecha from an expanding range of top-notch game pieces. Get yours now.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Convention Exclusives – now available to anyone

These dynamic pieces are available as a regular item in the Palladium store. They are powerful fun and only have 4-6 parts, so they are easy to put together. They look awesome on your shelf or in your game. Get yours while supplies last.